


Guardian Angels

by F1_rabbit



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:03:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stoffel usually works behind the scenes, arranging things back in heaven, but he's got a new assignment and he's a little out of his depth. Luckily, Kevin is there to hold his hand through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian Angels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fasterthanthetardis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fasterthanthetardis/gifts).



Little baby Nico stared up at the ceiling, oblivious to the two men standing over him. The nursery was small, decorated in pastel pinks and yellows, with a large assortment of stuffed toys everywhere.

The blond man looked so happy to see a healthy, smiling baby. His grin was so wide that his eyes were almost completely scrunched shut.

Stoffel stared at the grinning man before looking back at the baby, the thought of being accountable for another life seemed like a huge responsibility, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet.

But it was his assignment. He was to be Nico's guardian angel for the rest of his life.

Stoffel stumbled over a wayward toy as he stepped closer, but instead of falling through the human like he thought he would, he bumped into the man.

"I… I thought you were human."

The blond man laughed, soft and breathless as his chest heaved, thankfully Nico couldn't hear them, or any other human for that matter.

"Kevin." He put out his hand to shake, and Stoffel took it, wondering why another angel was down here.

"Stoffel." He looked down at Nico, drifting off to sleep as he held his blanket tight. "Are you here to supervise me?"

"No, I'm assigned to this little one," Kevin said, his voice getting high as he peered into the crib, making funny faces even though Nico couldn't see him.

"Oh." Stoffel rooted through his pockets, finding out what looked like a thin, clear sheet of plastic, and he held the corner until it lit up, the details of his assignment written on it.

He held the sheet up so that he could see Nico through it, and the screen changed to say 'Assignment Confirmed' before transforming to glowing green letters that simply said 'Good Luck.'

"Good luck? That's all we get? Isn't there meant to be a file?" Stoffel let the thin film fall from his hand, and it disappeared in a wisp of glitter, leaving Stoffel looking at Kevin as though he was waiting for an explanation.

"It's easy," Kevin said, resting his hand on Stoffel's shoulder as Stoffel let out the breath that he'd been holding.

"Easy? I don't deal with humans, I just maintain the database for all of this." Stoffel covered his face with his hands, shaking his head as he wondered what sort of mix up would see him assigned to a job that he had no experience or training for.

"Are you brave enough to go and tell Fate that she's messed up the assignments?" Kevin smiled and Stoffel knew that no-one, not even God themselves, was brave enough to tell Fate that she'd got things wrong.

"I've been doing this for as long as there's been humans." Kevin smiled again, and it put Stoffel at ease. "I'll hold your hand through it all."

Kevin held his hand out, and Stoffel took it.

How hard could it be to look after a human?

***

"I thought this was just a phase," Stoffel said, covering his eyes as Nico raced round the track in a scarily fast kart.

Kevin put his hand around Stoffel, cheering as Nico crossed the line first, and Stoffel let out a little groan.

"Is there a way we can encourage him to do something else?" Stoffel asked, "Something safer?" He wasn't sure he could take much more of this, and yet with each new win, Nico seemed even more determined to do this as a career.

"It's not our job to meddle with Fate's plan." Kevin pulled out a thin sheet of plastic, what angels on assignment used as files, a screen to connect them to all the information in their databases back home.

Stoffel peered over at it, wondering why they'd been doing this for over ten years and he'd not seen Kevin consult the files before.

"This is his future." Kevin angled the screen so Stoffel could see it clearly.

"Oh…"

"He's destined to be a racing driver." Kevin wrapped his arm around Stoffel, grinning as he watched Nico on the podium, looking like a proud parent.

Stoffel stared at the words, little glowing green letters that taunted him.

"Don't worry, it gets easier." Kevin laughed, and Stoffel's eyes went wide. He wasn't sure he could take much more of this.

***

Kevin had been right, it did get easier, although it didn't stop Stoffel covering his eyes every time that Nico crashed. No matter how long he did this for, he wasn't sure that he'd ever get used to it.

Stoffel buried his head against Kevin's shoulder. They were sitting above the lights, waiting for the race to start. It was an amazing view, and one no human would ever get to see.

Kevin reached out to hold Stoffel's hand, and he opened one eye, his eyes locked on Nico's car as the sound of engines revving roared around them.

Nico was off the line in a blink of the eye, Kevin scrabbled to spin round as the cars rushed down to the first corner, Nico in the lead as they disappeared off into the distance.

They reappeared at the other side of the track, watching as Nico extended his lead, and by the time that the chequered flag fell, Stoffel was screaming for Nico, standing by the edge of the track as his car thundered past the finish line.

"Looks like you're finally enjoying this," Kevin said, cheeky grin on his face as he held Stoffel's hand, their fingers intertwined as they both beamed with pride at their charge.

Stoffel nodded, there was something fulfilling about seeing Nico do well, seeing him happy with his life, and knowing that they had a hand in it made him proud.

It was something he'd never felt before, his previous assignment was so far removed from it all that he'd never considered himself to be making a difference but here on the front line, it was a rush.

***

Kevin was running through the crowd, and lots of people felt a shiver as he passed through them. He was rushing towards the podium, Nico was GP2 champion, and Kevin wanted to be the first to congratulate him.

"I'm so proud of you," Kevin whispered to Nico, even though no-one apart from Stoffel could hear him.

Nico's smile was a sight to behold, his blond hair glinting in the sun as Kevin ran his fingers down the side of Nico's face, the light sparkling where they touched.

Stoffel could have sworn that he saw Nico's smile widen when Kevin's fingers made contact with him.

*

Kevin and Stoffel were standing over Nico as he signed his contract – he was going to race in Formula One.

"I'm so proud of him," Stoffel said, and Kevin nodded, both of them peering over his shoulder as Nico scribbled his signature at the bottom, grinning as he handed it back over.

Stoffel couldn't believe that Nico had made his dreams come true, and he still had a long life left in front of him.

*

That night, Nico went out to celebrate, and Stoffel felt a vicarious thrill seeing Nico dance and drink the night away, surrounded by pretty people of all genders. It had taken a while for Stoffel to understand the concept of human sexuality, but at least looking after Nico was easier because he was bisexual, just like angels.

Kevin put his hand out, and Stoffel took it, watching as Kevin's grin grew. He was dragging Stoffel to the dance floor, wandering through people who were too drunk to notice the strange sensation of it.

Stoffel stood there as Kevin started to dance, he was effortlessly good at it, like everything else that was human. Millennia of being down here with them meant that he'd had time to experience many things.

Kevin dragged him closer, forcing him to dance, and Stoffel was glad that he didn't have to do this alone.

*

Nico was stumbling back to his hotel, alone, and Kevin was using his wings to herd him in the right direction. He stopped Nico in his tracks as a bus sped past, checking that the road was clear before letting him carry on, his wing draped around him just to keep him upright.

Once he was safely tucked up in bed, Kevin curled up next to him, whispering happy thoughts as Nico slept.

Stoffel watched it all with a smile on his face, this was the first time that he'd felt at ease with his new assignment and he was loving every second of it.

***

Just over a year later, Nico was lying on his bed, Kevin wrapping him in his wings as the tears flowed, Kevin still whispering happy thoughts as Nico cried himself to sleep.

He was set to be reserve driver, it was all that he could get last minute, but Stoffel could see Nico's pain at the thought of not racing.

Kevin and him were going to have to work extra hard to look after Nico, but it was all part of the job.

***

"Esteban."

"Checo."

"Esteban."

"Checo." Kevin folded his arms, and his grin got wider. "They've been friends forever, they get on so well, and look at those freckles, who doesn't like freckles?"

"Nico doesn't even know his birthday," Stoffel said, watching as Nico and Esteban stared at each other lovingly.

"Fine." Kevin went off to watch over Nico, and Stoffel decided to pull a few strings to lead Nico in the right direction.

Stoffel managed to send a vague text to Esteban, from Nico's phone, asking Esteban to come over to Nico's hotel room. Hopefully that would give them a little quality time alone, away from the paddock, a chance for love to bloom.

He materialised next to Kevin, watching over Nico, and Stoffel was excited to see how Nico's date would go.

*

By the time the evening came around, Stoffel was buzzing with excitement, and Kevin kept giving him funny looks.

There was a knock on the door, and Stoffel rubbed his hands, waiting to see how it all worked out.

And then he saw that Esteban wasn't the only person standing at Nico's door. Checo was there too.

"What's Checo doing here?" Stoffel said.

At the exact same time that Kevin blurted out, "What's Esteban doing here?"

"You invited Checo?" Stoffel wondered when he'd done that, although he was sure that when he spoke to Kevin earlier, he'd agreed to pushing Nico in the direction of Esteban.

"Yes." Kevin folded his arms, but he smiled when he saw Nico inviting both Checo and Esteban into his room. "I've been doing this for a long time, I know what's best."

Nico was looking between Esteban and Checo, his mouth hanging open. "What are you two doing here?"

"Erm, you sent a text, asking if I wanted to spend some 'quality time' with you." Checo held up his phone so that Nico could see the text, and Stoffel peered over Nico's shoulder to see the message, complete with a winky face that left no room for misunderstanding.

Esteban held up his phone, and Stoffel knew that he had received an almost identical message that he had sent on Nico's behalf.

Nico scrunched up his forehead, peering at the little screen as Stoffel held his breath, wondering where this was all going to go.

"You were going to date both of us?" Checo said, his arms folded as he looked to Esteban for back up.

"No, you two are really good friends, I couldn't date one of you and not the other."

"So… you'd date both of us?" Esteban grinned, and Stoffel watched Nico and Checo smile.

Nico took a deep breath, and Stoffel was watching with his eyes wide, the tension rising as Nico licked his lips.

Everything moved quickly after that, frantic kisses as the three of them scrabbled to undress each other, all heading for the bed with grins on their faces.

Kevin was sat in the corner of the room, watching as Nico tumbled on to bed, naked and smiling.

"Are you happy now? He's going to have a threesome." Kevin folded his arms, but he showed no signs of looking away.

"Well, Nico looks happy." Stoffel smirked, but it was wiped off his face when he saw Kevin glaring at him.

Kevin rushed over to Nico, resting a wing on his shoulders as he whispered, "Condoms are in the drawer."

Nico hung off the bed, letting everyone admire the view as he rooted around in the drawer, grinning as he held up the condoms for Checo and Esteban to see.

Kevin sat back down, frown lines scoring his face as Stoffel stood awkwardly next to him.

"How do you know that this isn't his future?" Stoffel felt a shiver, had he messed up Nico's future? Should he have left it all to Kevin?

"See how they're both vying for each other's affection, trying to get the other to notice them? They're not as interested in Nico."

Stoffel nodded, watching as both Esteban and Checo pawed at each other, impatient for attention as Nico tried to nuzzle his way in.

"Oh." Stoffel compressed his lips and waited for Kevin to speak again.

"And Nico is so desperate for attention that he won't notice it." Kevin tilted his head as Nico rolled Sergio on to his side, holding his leg up so he could thrust in, both of them groaning in pleasure as the sweat beaded down over their bodies.

"Oh." Stoffel could see Esteban looking left out, and he knew that this was going to end in the category of one night stand, rather than happily ever after. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Kevin said, reaching out a wing so that he could pat Stoffel's shoulder, "Nico's going to have an amazing night, maybe a couple more, but then they'll realise they're all better off as friends."

"How do you know?" Stoffel saw Nico pulling Esteban over to straddle his lap, and Stoffel looked at the floor as he heard Esteban praising Nico's cock in Spanish.

"I know humans." Kevin shrugged, and Stoffel felt at ease.

There was a cough, and Stoffel spun round to see who was there, but Nico was oblivious to it all.

"Jo? What are you doing here?" Stoffel rushed up for a hug, wrapping his wings around Jo as they kissed noisily.

Jo rested his forehead against Stoffel's, smiling as he stared into his eyes, his wings stroking at Stoffel's back.

"The quantum supercomputer is offline today for repairs," Jo said, "So, I thought I'd come and see my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Kevin asked, as the bed creaked, Checo positioning himself behind Esteban as he kissed at the side of his neck, reaching round so that he could stroke him to climax.

"Yes," Stoffel said, shielding Jo's eyes with his wings as Nico and Esteban came at the same time.

"We've been working together for twenty-six years and you forgot to mention that you were seeing someone?"

"Uhm…" Stoffel looked at Jo as he bit his lip, stroking the side of his face before he turned to face Kevin, still wrapped up in Jo's wings. "It didn't seem to matter, I can keep my assignment and my personal life separate."

Kevin raised an eyebrow, and Stoffel looked back at Jo, going in for another kiss as Nico made himself comfy on the bed.

Nico tried to make sure that he was in the middle, but Esteban had Checo still clinging to his back, holding him tight, and Nico had to make do with cuddling in on the other side of Esteban.

"Isn't he meant to be with Paul?" Jo asked, and Stoffel's eyes went wide.

"They would be good together," Kevin said, rubbing at his beard as his eyes narrowed.

Stoffel rested his head against Jo's shoulder, shaking his head as he thought about all the time that Nico and Paul had together as teammates.

"They would have been perfect together."

***

Kevin had been whispering in Nico's ear every night, making sure that he dreamt of Paul, and from the way that Nico looked at Paul, with a blush on his cheeks, Stoffel was sure that it was working.

It looked like it was all falling into place, Nico returning to Force India for the 2014 season, and from there it wouldn't take much to make Nico see that the love of his life was right in front of him.

Nico was lurking at the back of the Sauber garage, the sound of Esteban and Checo making out drifting through the door, and Stoffel smiled when he thought about their one night together.

After all the feelings of guilt at the time, Stoffel was glad that it had happened, not just because Nico had fun, but because it had finally given Esteban and Checo the push that they needed to admit their feelings for each other.

And it hadn't ruined their friendship with Nico, which was a huge relief.

Stoffel wasn't sure where Kevin was, but the look of sheer happiness on Nico's face when he saw Paul approaching made Stoffel smile.

"Can we talk?" Paul asked, but Stoffel saw the look of unhappiness on his face, and all hopes that Paul was here to declare his undying love to Nico faded.

"Sure." Nico slipped out to the back of the motorhome, Stoffel glancing around to make sure that they were alone. It was quiet enough and there was no sign of any reporters or cameras.

"Force India aren't renewing my contract," Paul said, biting at his lip as he stared at his hands, unable to look Nico in the eye. "I'm going back to DTM."

Nico rushed in for a hug, holding Paul tight, and Stoffel cuddled in around them, wrapping them up in his wings as he whispered that it was all going to be alright, that it would work itself out.

"I'll be watching every race," Nico said, his lips brushing against Paul's neck, and for a second Stoffel thought that they were going to kiss, but Monisha was calling for Nico.

Nico rested his head against Paul's, opening his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"I should go," Nico said, "I'll see you around."

***

Stoffel watched as Nico signed the deal to drive full time in WEC for 2018, and he felt the same feeling of pride that he did every time Nico started a new phase of his life. Kevin was grinning like a proud parent, rushing in to wrap his wings around him once the deal was done.

*

"Your boyfriend is messing up all my plans."

Jo looked up to see Fate towering over his desk, she didn't look impressed, and her voice was perfect for conveying her disappointment. The humans would have described her accent as Russian, but none of that applied up here.

"What's he done now?" Jo said, and he knew it sounded harsh, but ever since Stoffel had got his new assignment, he seemed much happier to bend the rules, or just ignore them. Stoffel wasn't the same person that he'd fallen in love with, but he was happy that he was enjoying his new assignment.

"His charge is meant to be with their true love, and yet they're about to be separated, again." Fate picked at her nail polish, scowl on her face as she ruffled her soft, brown hair out of her face.

"Got the file?" Jo asked, as a thin sheet of plastic floated down onto his desk.

"If you need help, Marcus is good with these things." Fate marched off through the office, striding past all the cubicles as Jo looked at the file.

He shook his head, and wandered in the direction of Marcus' office.

*

Marcus had been out, and he'd left a note, but he needed things sorted, and quickly.

Jo headed down to earth, appearing in Paul's bedroom as he slept. He knew the theory behind it all, but he'd never done it before, and he just hoped that it all worked out.

Paul was snoring softly and Jo lay next to him on the bed, wrapping him up in his wings as he whispered to him.

"You should take the WEC seat, it would be fun, give you a chance to show people your skills. And Nico would be your teammate, you could be together."

Paul smiled in his sleep, and Jo kept repeating the same things to him all night.

He signed the contract the next day. Paul and Nico were going to be teammates again.

*

Jo returned to heaven with a smile on his face, it had been fun watching over Paul for a day, and he could see why Stoffel loved it so much. It was a rush when everything came together.

He returned to his desk to see Marcus standing there, scribbling a note for him.

"Do you still need some help?" Marcus asked, he always had time for a chat, and a smile on his face.

"No, it's all sorted." Jo looked at the long list of things that he'd been left to do, and let out a sigh.

Marcus gave him a hug, and Jo felt himself relax, it had been a crazy day.

"If you ever get bored of fixing bugs in the computer, we could use another angel to pop down a fix things every now and again."

Jo laughed, he wasn't sure that he could take the excitement, but a change had done him good. "I might take you up on that."

Marcus fluttered his wings, and with that he was gone, back to work, leaving Jo with a smile on his face.

***

The first time that Nico and Paul won Le Mans together they were over the moon, and they celebrated accordingly.

A combination of sleep deprivation and champagne meant that they ended up curled up in bed together, and Stoffel had thought that it was a done deal.

"I love you," Nico said, his words slurred as he leant in for a kiss.

"I lo-" Paul sprinted to the bathroom, throwing up as Nico stroked his back, trying to reassure him.

The next morning they woke up with little memory of the night before, and Stoffel was shaking his head as Kevin just smiled.

"They'll get there," Kevin said, grinning as Nico fussed over Paul, making him a greasy fried breakfast in a bid to cure his hangover. "Look at them, that's true love."

*

Stoffel was listening in as Paul talked to his mum, telling her all about his win, and Nico.

"You should tell Nico how you feel," Paul's mum said, and Paul smiled, from what Stoffel had seen there was no way to hide anything from her.

"It's complicated with us racing together," Paul said, "I don't want to mix work and dating."

"If you love each other, you'll find a way to make it work."

"It's just not that simple." Paul frowned, and Stoffel wrapped his wings around him, whispering to him that it would all work out, that Nico was his future.

*

Kevin was listening in as Nico called his dad, telling him all about his win, and Paul.

From the smile on his face, he was clearly happy with it all, but then after his dad had hung up Nico's smile faded.

"I've had a crush on Paul for seven years now, how long is it going to take me to actually tell him how I feel?"

Kevin wrapped his wings around Nico, whispering to him that it would all work out, that Paul was his future.

***

Stoffel and Kevin watched as Nico and Paul stepped up on to the top step of the podium. They'd won the race, and they'd also won the championship.

Kevin looked so proud, and Stoffel couldn't believe how Nico's life had worked out, there had been points when it had all looked futile, but Nico had never given up.

Ever since Nico and Paul had entered WEC four years ago, Kevin and Stoffel had worked tirelessly to keep them safe, and to try and show them that the love of their life was standing right in front of them.

But apart from a couple of drunken confessions of love after a win, there was no sign that either of them were going to make a move.

The championship celebration went on all night, but neither of them drank that much. Both were being sensible, pacing themselves, which meant that by the time they stumbled into Nico's hotel room, they were both relatively sober.

Nico pulled Paul into a big hug, and he whispered, "I love you."

Stoffel was sitting on the edge of his seat, holding Kevin's hand tight as they prepared for the fireworks.

"I love you too," Paul whispered back, still holding Nico tight as he nuzzled against him.

Nico's hands were stroking Paul's back, his lips finding their way to his neck, gently kissing him as Paul let out a little gasp.

Paul leant back so that he could look at Nico, his pupils blown as he stared into Nico's eyes.

Stoffel let out a little squeak, it was finally happening, everything had fallen into place.

Nico went in for a kiss, it was messy and frantic, but both of them looked blissfully happy.

Kevin made himself comfy, watching as the clothes started to fly, and he shimmered as a pair of jeans flew through him, landing on the chair with a thud.

"How are things with Jo?" Kevin asked, getting up to follow Nico and Paul to the shower.

"I've not seen him for a while." Stoffel tried to think how long it had been since he'd spoken to Jo, and he couldn't remember, which said it all.

"Go see him," Kevin said, winking at Stoffel, "I've got this."

Stoffel looked into the shower, Nico was tangled around Paul, their hard cocks rubbing together as the water fell over them, kissing passionately.

The last thing that Stoffel heard was Nico and Paul moaning in pleasure, their groans loader than the water. Stoffel disappeared in a blink of an eye, wondering what he was going to say to Jo.

*

Jo dropped his cup of tea and it smashed on the floor before reassembling itself on his desk.

"Stoffel?"

"Hi, I know it's been a while." Stoffel fidgeted with his hands, holding his wings out as he waited for Jo to come over for a hug, but he didn't move.

"It's been over eight years." Jo looked up and Stoffel saw the pain on his face. "The humans would have declared you dead by now."

"I… I'm sorry." Stoffel didn't know what else to say, even though sorry didn't even begin to cover it. He couldn't believe how the time had flown, or how he'd managed to lose touch with Jo. There was a time when Jo was always in his thoughts, but now it was Nico that was his priority.

Marcus appeared, breaking the silence. "Are you ready to go to lunch?"

Jo's eyes went wide, and Marcus' smile faded when he saw Stoffel standing there.

"I'll give you two some space," Marcus said, but Jo reached out to hold his hand, intertwining their fingers and stroking his thumb along the side of his hand.

"I should be going," Stoffel said, forcing himself to get the words out without showing how upset he was, "I'll see you about."

*

Stoffel reappeared to find Nico and Paul curled up in bed, Kevin watching over them as they slept.

"How's Jo?" Kevin asked, and Stoffel slumped down next to him on the sofa.

Stoffel wrapped his wings over his face, shaking his head as he wondered how he could have done this. "It's been eight years since I spoke to him, he's moved on, and I don't blame him."

Kevin shuffled closer, wrapping him up in his wings. Stoffel felt calm now that he was back on earth, next to Kevin, and with Nico safe and happy nearby.

"How do you do it?" Stoffel looked up at Kevin, and he saw the answer in his eyes, he was all alone doing this job, and if it hadn't been for the mix up he'd still be all alone.

"I'm just glad that I have you," Kevin said, "I was starting to go stir crazy. It's been nice to have some company for a change."

Stoffel sat up a little, wrapping his wings around Kevin as they stared at each other. Staring into Kevin's bright blue eyes, Stoffel realised that he'd grown very fond of Kevin over the years, and he was the person that he talked to most. He hadn't realised that he'd fallen in love with him during that time, not until now.

Kevin stroked the side of his face as he moved closer, licking his lips as he closed his eyes. Stoffel closed his eyes, delighting in the feeling as their lips met, their energies merging as Kevin's tongue slid into his mouth, the gasps and moans muffled, not that there was anyone to disturb.

Stoffel groaned as his energy merged with Kevin's, the feeling of sheer bliss surrounding him as Kevin's soft wings held him close.

"Not as messy as the humans," Kevin said, laughing as Stoffel thought of all the mess that Nico had made in the past. "Not down here anyway."

"I think Nico's going to be fine for the next hour." Stoffel grinned, and Kevin held his hands tight, transporting them back to heaven.

They were back before Nico woke up, all four of them smiling, holding the one that they loved close.

***

Stoffel wasn't sure where the years had gone. He was sitting on the beach, wrapped up in Kevin's wings as he watched Nico and Paul build sandcastles with their little ones, Eva and Alex.

Although Eva was starting high school this year, and yet it seemed like only yesterday that she was a shy little girl that wanted her dads to read her two bedtime stories every night. One for her and one for her brother.

"I'm so glad that it all worked out for him," Stoffel said, as Nico went to fetch water so that he could fill the moat for the sandcastle.

"That's the job." Kevin smiled, stroking Stoffel with his wings.

There was a cough, and Stoffel turned round to see Jo standing there.

"We're not in trouble again, are we?" Stoffel asked, but Jo just shook his head.

"No, just down fixing a little problem." Jo pointed over to where Marcus was guiding the lifeguard in the right direction, making sure that he put up the red flag to say that the sea was unsafe to swim in.

"Oh." Stoffel bit his lip. "We'll keep these four safe."

"I know you will." Jo sat down next to them, waiting for Marcus to come across so that he could wrap his wings around him.

"I'm glad that Fate messed up for once," Stoffel said, laughing as he glanced around to make sure that she wasn't about.

"Fate doesn't make mistakes," Jo said, smiling at Marcus, "I asked her once, about getting your assignment wrong, which led to this." Jo waved his wings at the four of them sitting there. "And she just said, 'It was part of my plans for you,' before disappearing off."

"I'm glad that it all worked out then," Stoffel said, and the four of them nodded, glad that she'd led them all to where they were meant to be.

***

Years passed, Eva and Alex grew up, left home, although they made sure to visit their papa often, especially after their dad died.

Visiting hours were yet to start and Nico was dozing, the soft beep of the machines was faint over his laboured breathing. Kevin was sat beside him, holding his hand with both wings, when Nico spoke.

"Are you an angel?" Nico coughed, and Kevin draped a wing over his chest, easing some of his pain.

"Yes, I'm your guardian angel."

Stoffel felt a tear run down his cheek, although he knew that this was inevitable, the feeling of loss was immense.

"Who are you talking to papa?" Eva asked, looking at Nico with concern as she sat down next to his bed, Alex sitting opposite her.

"My angel."

Eva sniffed as tears ran down her face, Alex holding her hand as they both cuddled in to their papa, holding him tight as the machine let out a low whine.

The tears were streaming down Kevin's face, and Stoffel couldn't fathom how many times he'd watched this soul leave its mortal form, knowing that he'd have to go through it all again next time.

Stoffel held Kevin as he wrapped his wings around Nico, whispering his goodbyes.

"I'll see you in the next life."

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
